Travel Vaccinations: Africa

Traveling to Africa can be an enlightening and eye opening experience, but, as with travel to any corner of the globe other than your own, it is important to remember that there are health risks that you are body does not have a solid defense for. Thankfully, most of the health related risks of traveling in Africa can be avoided with a little planning ahead and a small handful of vaccinations. The most highly recommended vaccinations for most of Africa are for Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Diptheria and, in some cases, Yellow Fever. Depending on exactly where you are traveling and where you are traveling from, it is sometimes recommended that you obtain vaccinations for tuberculosis, rabies, cholera and meningococal meningitis, but it is not required that you do so. Documentation of vaccinations is only necessary if you are required to have a vaccination for yellow fever.

Typhoid

Depending on where you are traveling, a vaccination for Typhoid is probably the most important vaccination to get before getting on the plane. Typhoid fever is a particularly unpleasant disease that wreaks havoc on your digestive system. The symptoms of this life threatening disease can be quite severe including high fever and intestinal problems, and recovery from typhoid fever often takes a number of uncomfortable weeks of convalescence. A vaccination for Typhoid takes at least ten days to go into effect.

Hepatitis A

A vaccination for Hepatitis A is the other most highly recommended vaccination to have before traveling to Africa. Hepatitis A is a virus that is spread by contaminated water and food and causes inflammation of the liver that lasts for a few weeks before subsiding. While there is no specific treatment for the virus, the body typically heals on its own after a period of weeks, and the condition typically leaves no lasting damage to the body. While many people in the West have been vaccinated for Hepatitis A at some point in their lives, each vaccination only lasts for ten years. A vaccination for Hepatitis A takes at least two weeks to become effective, so it is critical to plan ahead if you do not have the vaccination already. There is also an alternative to the vaccination called Kabiglobulin that lasts for a few months and is used by many travelers for short trips overseas.

Yellow Fever

Depending on where you are traveling from, it may be necessary to have official certification that you have been vaccinated for yellow fever to enter some African nations such as South Africa. Yellow fever gets its name for the jaundice that it causes in patients, and symptoms can range from those of the regular flu to kidney failure and meningitis. This potentially life threatening disease is spread by mosquitoes can cause epidemics if it breaks out in unvaccinated communities and has a disturbing mortality rate of over 50%. Thankfully, the vaccine that is available for yellow fever has been proven to be very effective. Travelers are only required to have documentation of vaccination for yellow fever if they are traveling from a country that is known to be an area that is infected by the disease. The vaccination for yellow fever takes at least ten days to kick in.

Diphtheria

In certain African countries such as Ghana, it is also highly recommended that you obtain a vaccination for Diphtheria, but this is not necessary for every country in Africa. Diphtheria is a dangerous disease that affects populations all over the world, even in areas with the best medical care. It is caused by a bacteria that causes a respiratory infection that can quickly become very serious and is often fatal. The vaccination for Diphtheria takes three months before it is truly effective, so be sure to find out whether you need this vaccination as soon as you begin planning any travel to Africa.

Sources:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/travel/africa/index.asp